Field
The disclosure relates to a network apparatus for pairing with a user device and a pairing method thereof, and for example, to a network apparatus wherein pairing with a user device has increased security, and a pairing method thereof.
Description of Related Art
With the recent development of communication technology, devices such as smart phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) that are portable and easy to use are being widely used. As more and more of such portable devices are being used, there will be a growing need to exchange information stored in different devices between those devices.
In cases where two user devices intend to use the same wireless communication functions, it is necessary to set the connection information between the two user devices and perform a pairing between them in order to perform wireless communication. In conventional methods, in order to prevent pairing between unauthorized devices, association keys and encryption keys are predetermined at the production stage, and then it is required to either input an SSID and password on the devices when connecting the network or to perform an association process using physically provided buttons or chips and the like, and then to exchange the encryption keys.
However, the problem is that passwords cannot be input in the case of pairing devices that do not have displays, and providing buttons or chips increases the manufacturing cost. Especially, since association keys and encryption keys are predetermined at the production stage, the devices may be prone to “man in the middle attack” such as sniffing and spoofing by the same type of remotely located unauthorized products during the association process or the process of exchanging encryption keys, and further, the devices that can be paired are limited to only the same type of products, which is also a problem.
Thus, there needs to be a way to perform an association for pairing between various devices more easily, and to increase security by preventing and/or reducing the likelihood of a “man in the middle attack” by unauthorized remote devices.